GLOBALT Investments LLC GA Has $6.55 Million Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

GLOBALT Investments LLC GA lessened its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 60,822 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 818 shares during the period. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,891,000. Facet Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Ninepoint Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Ninepoint Partners LP now owns 11,234 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after buying an additional 2,127 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 192,617 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $20,753,000 after buying an additional 21,587 shares during the last quarter. Finally, one8zero8 LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,021,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.93.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $120.29 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $93.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $112.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $92.75 and a 1 year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.50% and a net margin of 14.90%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.20%.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.